1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a holder that straps onto a quarterback's waist and legs to hold extra footballs during football practice so that the quarterback has extra footballs to throw for each practice play.
2. Description of the Related Art
Currently during football practice, a quarterback will throw a football to one person for each play. This results in most of the players engaging in many plays where they do not get an opportunity to practice receiving or catching the football. It would be desirable if the quarterback could throw several footballs during each practice play so that more of the players had an opportunity to practice receiving or catching the football. Unfortunately, the quarterback does not have enough hands to hold more than one football at a time and still be able to throw the ball properly. What is needed is a football holder that allows the quarterback to throw a football unobstructed and then quickly grab additional footballs so that multiple footballs can be thrown to various receivers during each practice play.
The present invention addresses this need by providing a holder for holding extra footballs on the side or hips of the quarterback until the quarterback is ready to throw the extra footballs. The holder attaches to the quarterback with a belt and a couple of straps. A belt extends around the waist of the quarterback and through the top end of one or more of the holders so that each of the holders is located on a side of the quarterback's hips. If two holders are to be used, a first leg strap extends around the upper portion of the left leg of the quarterback and through a bottom end of one of the holders to secure the first holder to the side of the left leg of the quarterback. A second leg strap extends around the upper portion of the right leg of the quarterback and through a bottom end of the other one of the holders to secure the second holder to the side of the right leg of the quarterback.
Each holder holds the football until the quarterback pulls the football out of the holder by employing a twisting motion. Each holder has two spring-loaded cupped ends that are biased toward each other for holding the football there between. One cupped end of the holder is provided at the top end of the holder and one cupped end located at the bottom end of the holder. The cupped end located at the bottom end of the holder preferably has a notch cut out of it to facilitate removal of the football from the holder.
To insert the football into the holder, the two cupped ends of the holder are spread apart and the two ends of the football are inserted between the two cupped ends of the holder. To remove the football from the holder, the lower end of the football is pulled out of the bottom cupped end via the notch cut out of the bottom cupped end and this releases the football from the holder.